Getting Married at SF City Hall & need recommendations!

alimarave

I am so frustrated with the information (or lack thereof) on planning a City Hall wedding.  I live in the Denver area and we are going to San Francisco for a week to get married and have a brief honeymoon. 

However, it is so difficult to plan/find the essentials on a budget.  I have found a few photographers in the Bay area that charge under $500, which is great, but I'm struggling with being able to find a great place to eat afterwards- a great ambience and great food (maybe even a good view?)- but the places I'm finding serves food that looks a little too fancy to eat.  We love ethnic foods (thai, ethiopian, etc.)... I've been reading a lot about Absinthe or Jardiniere, but not sure if I like the look of their food (too fancy).  A cozy French restaurant would be great that serves normal French food (i.e. French onion soup and choices of both meat and vegetarian dishes)

Also, I"m struggling with accomodations.  We are planning to stay for 4 nights in SF before heading to Napa Valley & Russian River Valley for a couple of days.  However, not only are we going to pay for one room, but also a room for my mom and one for his sister.  I would LOVE to stay at the Fairmont or St. Francis, however, with THREE rooms, it's a bit too much.  I'd like to know if anyone has stayed at the Mosser and what your thoughts are.

Thank you for listening to me rant... I guess I just didn't realize how difficult it would be to plan something non-traditional!    I wish there was a website that was strictly devoted to a "City Hall wedding"- complete with who shot their wedding, where they ate afterwards, where they stayed, etc.

yjakel

Both Absinthe and Jardinere are delicious places, I prefer Absinthe a little more but they do tend to have fancy food. But good.

The Slanted Door in the Ferry Building might be a good spot. It's Vietnamese food and it's right on the water by the Bay Bridge and has some good views.

http://www.slanteddoor.com/   You could even take a streetcar from city hall down to the Ferry Building for some cute pictures.

I've never stayed at Mosser but have heard good things. Sometimes there are good deals on Travelzoo for SF hotels.

HTH!

MrsJG2Be

I would recommend getting reservations in advance for The Slanted Door. You can also try opentable.com to see other restaurants, menu and prices for your time period. When are you getting married in SF? Just a heads up that October is a busy convention/event month; Oracle World and the Nike Women's Marathon have thousands and thousands so hotels might be tougher to book or find for October.

CarlyGal

If you want ethnic food then try Dosa - they do beautiful wedding receptions, their food is SO good (go every chance I get) and they don't charge as much as all those other places you're looking at! http://dosasf.com/
Depending on how many are in your party, I think Rue St. Jacques is a quaint French bistro but it's very small (like most places in SF) and could probably only accomodate 10 people or less.  I also like Chez Papa for French, it's a little bigger but way out of your way.

Staying at the Westin St. Francis isn't actually that expensie.  I got it on hotwire for $89/night last year!  I know hotwire doesn't tell you the name of the hotel but if you pick 3.5 stars and above you should be okay.  Use only Union Square east and west and nob hill for your areas to narrow the search http://www.hotwire.com/hotel/results.jsp?searchTokenId=1

Just be forewarned - SF City Hall is not in such a nice area, as soon as you'e married you'll want to move on to your next detination quickly!

alimarave

Wow!  Thank you for so many great suggestions!!!!!  We are getting married on a Monday (Oct. 18th), so I have been finding that many restaurants are usually closed on Mondays.  I will check hotwire out as well.  Great restaurant ideas too!! Thank you all sooo much- this really helps!!!

CarlyGal

Ali - if you have any more specific questions, I live in SF so feel free to email me

Carly